Students at Brigham Young University are developing a high-tech piece of baby wear that will help put parents worried about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at ease. Using a built-in pulse oximeter, their wireless smart sock can monitor both a sleeping child's heart and breathing rates without hindering them from getting the rest they need.

The Owlet Baby Monitor, as the students have dubbed it, won't stop whatever's responsible for SIDS-related deaths. But by connecting to a smartphone app it can immediately alert parents to a drop in the baby's heart rate or blood oxygen levels before it's too late to do anything at all.

The students are still a long ways off from releasing a commercially viable product, but they're moving forward with patent applications and refining their prototype. Eventually they hope that one day the Owlet could be responsible for reducing the number of SIDS-related deaths that occur every year. Sure, they it might not be as cute as the footsie pajamas you've got in stock, but these do so much more than just look adorable. [Owlet via Brigham Young University]